Four Japanese climbers believed dead in Alaska avalanche

Reuters

* Could be worst climbing accident on McKinley since 1992

* Avalanche hit the most commonly used path on the mountain

By Yereth Rosen

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, June 16 (Reuters) - Four Japaneseclimbers are presumed dead after they were swept up by apowerful avalanche on Alaska's Mount McKinley, North America'stallest peak, the National Park Service said on Saturday.

Authorities said one man in the group survived and hikeddown to get help. The avalanche struck early on Thursday, butsearchers working that day and on Friday found no bodies orclimbing gear, the Park Service said.

"We say 'presumed dead' because we haven't found theirbodies," said Maureen McLaughlin, spokeswoman for DenaliNational Park, where the mountain is located. "We are still upthere looking today."

If all four are dead, it would be the worst climbingaccident on McKinley since 1992, when four Canadian climberswere killed in a fall, McLaughlin said.

The missing climbers were identified as Yoshiaki Kato, 64;Masako Suda, 50; Michiko Suzuki, 56; and Tamao Suzuki, 63. Allare from Miyagi Prefecture in Japan, the Park Service said. Theywere part of a five-member Miyagi Workers Alpine Federationexpedition, and were descending at the time of the accident.

The sole survivor in the group was Hitoshi Ogi, 69, alsofrom Miyagi Prefecture, the Park Service said.

The avalanche struck on McKinley's West Buttress route, themost commonly used path to climb up and down t he mountain. Thesite was about 11,800 feet (3,600 meters) up the 20,320-foot(6,200-meter) mountain, at a point called "Motorcycle Hill."

The area is fairly steep, with a slope of about 35 degrees,and prone to avalanches. But there had not been any avalanchefatalities there until now, McLaughlin said.

Ogi was likely saved by falling into a crevasse, where theavalanche debris swept over him but did not bury him, McLaughlinsaid. Ogi, who suffered minor injuries, looked unsuccessfullyfor his climbing partners, then descended to the mountain's7,200-foot (2,200-meter) elevation base camp to ask for help,she said.

All five were roped together, but the rope broke in theavalanche, McLaughlin said.

"His partners may have fallen into the same crevasse he wasin, or they may have continued further down and fallen intoanother crevasse," she said.

The avalanche was about 200 feet (61 meters) wide, and itslid about 800 feet (245 meters) down the mountain, she said.

Park rangers and volunteers, now equipped with a search dog,will continue to probe the avalanche site on Saturday,McLaughlin said.

McKinley's climbing season runs from late April to earlyJuly. In a typical year, 1,200 to 1,300 climbers attempt tosc ale the peak.

Last month, in separate falling accidents, a German climberand a Finnish skier were killed on McKinley.